![\"Updike,](\"http:\/\/lamp1.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Updike-Tysa-12.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cI would not be where I am today without the support of the Computer Science, Math and Physics Department at Missouri Western,\u201d she says. \u201cI have to thank Dr. (Steve) Klassen for his dedication to his students. He drove me and fellow students to multiple recruiting days, and that is ultimately how I caught my break and was selected for the internship with Allstate.\u201d<\/p>\nIn September 2013, Updike started a new job with Allstate that took her to Belfast, Ireland. Six days before she traveled overseas, she visited with Dr. Klassen\u2019s math students on campus to share her experiences and offer them some advice.<\/p>\n
Tip #1 <\/b>Do whatever you have to do to get an internship. And,<\/i> after you complete your internship, stay in touch with the interns you worked with.<\/i><\/p>\n
Of the 18 interns that she worked with in the summer of 2007, Updike, who is originally from the Kansas City area, said 12 were hired for full-time positions at Allstate and six still work for the company. In fact, it was one her fellow interns who told her about the new position in Belfast. \u201cNetworking is so important, especially in a big company,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Tip #2<\/b> Communication skills are very important. <\/i><\/p>\n
Updike said she has held several positions at Allstate, and in every one, she had to interact with departments across the company. In her current position, she is the liaison between the group constructing \u201cextension of exposure tools\u201d in Belfast and the group using the tools in the Chicago office.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am using my previous knowledge and contacts from the analytics team in Chicago to help me build a strong bridge between these two geographically distant teams,\u201d she said. \u201cSo communication skills are very important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tip #3<\/b> \u00a0My advice is very simple; you\u2019ll get a lot more accomplished and people will be way more receptive if you bring a great attitude into the office every day. I cannot stress enough the importance of being personable at work.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI owe my success at Allstate mainly to networking, communication skills, and most importantly, building strong relationships with co-workers,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing energetic, involved and active with your office while doing good work will take you farther and create more opportunities than producing exceptional work alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAllstate recruits some of the finest talent in the Midwest, and when you get to work with such outgoing, intelligent individuals, you can\u2019t help but feel inspired to work harder and have fun doing it,\u201d Updike said.<\/p>\n
Tip #4 <\/b>\u00a0If you don\u2019t know something, don\u2019t bluff. But, don\u2019t admit that you don\u2019t know it. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/i>Updike told the students that she often has been in situations where she didn\u2019t know something she was asked about. A good answer when that happens: \u201cLet me get back to you on that. I haven\u2019t looked at it from that angle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tip #5<\/b> \u00a0Don\u2019t discount yourself. Companies are looking for interns from both small and large universities. <\/i><\/p>\n
Updike told the students a story about her daylong interview for the Allstate internship six years ago. When she arrived in Chicago, she and the eight other applicants were told that they were vying for just two intern positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked around me and I had a Duke University student on my left, and a Drake University student on my right. I was totally relaxed the rest of the day because I knew I wouldn\u2019t get the internship,\u201d she said with a laugh. But she believes she secured one of the two spots because, in addition to having the technical background, she was outgoing and a good communicator.<\/p>\n
Tip #6<\/b> \u00a0If you\u2019re considering an international move, don\u2019t underestimate how big of a challenge relocating actually is, and how big of a commitment you have to make to accept your new home.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI was a bit overconfident that the transition to living in Northern Ireland would be easy, but moving to another country is extremely hard,\u201d she said. \u201cIt took me until my trip home at Thanksgiving to really realize that I\u2019ve been given this great opportunity to live in another country and that I should be rejoicing in all the new aspects of my life instead of mourning the loss of my old.\u201d<\/p>\n
Updike\u2019s fianc\u00e9 also works for Allstate and is based in Belfast, as well. \u201cI told P\u00e1draic that if my family and friends are coming to Ireland to see me get married, then I want the reception to scream, \u2018You\u2019re in Ireland!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
And her final words of wisdom to the Missouri Western students?<\/p>\n
Tip #7<\/b> You are in charge of your own destiny.\u00a0 <\/i><\/p>\n
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Six years ago, Tysa Updike \u201908 was featured in a Missouri Western Magazine article when she was selected for a very competitive 12-week summer internship at Allstate Insurance Co. in Chicago. She was hired by Allstate after she graduated the following May and has worked for the company ever since. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4324,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839\/revisions\/4324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}